Shin wasn't entirely sure whether chaos magic was truly difficult to control but in any case, once Wanda lifted the spell on Tony Stark, Tony calmed down completely.
He understood very clearly that although Wanda and Pietro had no intention of killing him, at least not at the moment, they obviously didn't like him. If the opportunity arose, they wouldn't hesitate to mess with him.
"It's not that hard to find Thor." Shin shook the Mjolnir-like hammer that had formed from his own hand.
"There's always a subtle connection between Thor and his hammer. Thor may not be able to sense it right now, but the hammer never loses that link."
"So that's how it works. As long as we track the hammer's link, we can find Thor?" Wanda and Pietro nodded, finally catching on to Shin's plan.
In truth, Shin hadn't thought it through that clearly at the beginning. After absorbing Mjolnir, he'd simply noticed the connection and followed it instinctively.
Though the sensation was vague, it gave him a general direction, and the closer they got, the sharper the sense became.
As for Tony Stark, Shin had originally hoped the man would leave after recovering. But once Tony heard he might see actual gods, how could a scientist with boundless curiosity possibly walk away?
In town, Shin pulled out some gold. The group purchased an off-road vehicle and began driving in the direction indicated by the hammer's connection.
"Still, even if we do find Thor, what then? What does the Ancient One actually want us to do?" Wanda asked, clearly curious.
Shin had a strong hunch that it was probably because this version of Thor had failed to resume his destined role. That absence might trigger butterfly effects like Asgard falling to the Frost Giants, or worse.
That was likely why he'd been thrown into this mission… Though he still didn't know Thor's exact situation.
...
"Yeah, the link is definitely coming from inside." Shin's tone was serious as he looked up.
"This is just too absurd..." Wanda murmured, her expression baffled.
"Didn't we say we were tracking Thor? This place..." Pietro looked equally dumbfounded, his disbelief written all over his face.
"So... Thor, the Norse god of thunder, fell to Earth and ended up in a mental hospital?" Tony Stark said, utterly exasperated.
The group stood under the weathered sign of Heaven Hill Mental Hospital, expressions frozen in disbelief.
"Maybe... he's a doctor here?" Wanda forced an awkward smile.
"Do you believe that? He's the god of thunder, not the god of medicine." Tony rolled his eyes.
"Honestly, it's not that far-fetched," Shin said with a grin. "If someone started shouting on the street that they were Thor, the god of thunder, and didn't show any powers, wouldn't they be sent straight to a psych ward?"
"But..." Wanda and Pietro still struggled to accept it. Having just come from Kamar-Taj, they subconsciously placed the mystical world on a high pedestal.
In their minds, gods should be far more powerful than sorcerers at least on the same level as the Sorcerer Supreme. And now someone like that had been committed to a psychiatric facility...
You couldn't blame them. They had no frame of reference for something this ridiculous.
"Don't overestimate gods. In Norse mythology, there are those as wise as Odin, those as cunning as Loki, and those as muscle-headed as Thor." Shin chuckled and rang the doorbell.
This was a public facility and in America, "public" often meant "underfunded." The whole place looked worn and neglected, aside from the well-maintained security systems.
"Who are you people?" An older, heavyset Black man with graying hair stepped out to greet them.
"Hello, sir. My name is Kevin," Shin replied, holding up a piece of paper and waving it casually. "This is my FBI badge. We're here to take custody of a suspect."
"Oh, Lord. We've got more suspects in here than patients," the old man grumbled. "I've seen you folks drop off 'suspects' all the time, only to pick them up two days later. Didn't expect you to actually take someone this time."
Shin was speechless.
Well, it sounded like the whole country was drowning in psychiatric cases. Nothing unusual here.
"Who are you looking for, exactly?" the old man asked, pulling out a small clipboard and a hospital phone.
"The guy claiming to be Thor," Shin answered flatly.
"Ah, yes. Mr. Thor has been here for over two weeks now."
"Next door to him is Mr. Odin, and behind him is Mr. Zeus."
Shin's mouth twitched. A full-blown gathering of gods.
The king of Asgard, the king of Olympus, and the Norse god of thunder having a summit meeting in Heaven Hill. Quite the image.
The old man led them inside. The facility might've been rundown, but it was definitely secure.
Guards patrolled with electric batons in hand, and the nurses looked like they'd been hired from professional wrestling leagues built like tanks and visibly capable of handling trouble. Likely all trained specifically for this setting.
As they reached Thor's room, Shin could hear raised voices coming from within.
"How many times do I have to tell you... you are not my father!"
"My son, must you keep denying me? It's because you refuse to recognize your own father that you've lost Mjolnir and your power!"
Shin smirked as he glanced into the next room at the burly, one-eyed old man arguing with Thor. The guy even looked the part.
Too bad he was blind in his left eye otherwise, Shin might've seriously believed Odin had come to Earth to scold his son.
Thor was fuming, mid-rant, when suddenly another voice shouted from across the hall, "Silence, you rebels of Asgard! One day, divine fire shall purge you, wicked gods!"
Tony Stark's face was blank. He turned to the old man. "Sorry, who the hell is that? Does he think he's God?"
"Oh, him? That's the Archangel Michael," the man said, checking his list.
"Okay, Kevin," Tony deadpanned. "Are you sure the person we're looking for is actually here?"
Even Wanda and Pietro couldn't help exchanging uncertain glances.
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